The Golden Arena for Best Director (Croatian

Croatian language

Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...

: Zlatna arena za režiju) is an award given for best director at the Pula Film Festival

Pula Film Festival

The Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival which is held annually in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula arena since 1954. The festival is usually held in the summer, in July or August....

, which was until 1992 the Yugoslav equivalent of the Academy Awards

Academy Awards

An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

. Since 1992 and the breakup of Yugoslavia the competition narrowed to Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

n films only. The first festival was held in 1954, but the award was introduced in 1955.

Yugoslav competition (1955–1990)

Year	Winner	English title(s)	Original title(s)
1955		Moments of Decision	Trenutki odločitve
1956		Don't Look Back, My Son Don't Look Back, My Son Don't Look Back, My Son , also known as My Son Don't Turn Round in the United States, is a 1956 Croatian film directed by Branko Bauer.-External links:* at Filmski-Programi.hr...	Ne okreći se sine
1957		Priests Ćira and Spira Priests Ćira and Spira Priests Ćira and Spira is a 1957 Yugoslav film directed by Soja Jovanović....	Pop Ćira i pop Spira
1958		H-8 H-8 (film) H-8 is a 1958 Yugoslavian film by Croatian director Nikola Tanhofer . The movie is based on a true story, in which the driver that caused a fatal 1957 bus-truck collision was never identified...	H-8
1959		Three Quarters of a Sun	Tri ćetrtine sonca
1960		Atomic War Bride Atomic War Bride Atomic War Bride , is a 1960 Yugoslav science fiction drama film directed by Veljko Bulajić.The film won three Golden Arena awards at the 1960 Pula Film Festival, including for Best Director , Best Actor and Best Scenography , and was nominated for the Golden Lion award at the 1960 Venice Film...	Rat
1961
1962
1963 †		Face to Face	Licem u lice
1963 †		Wild Growth	Samorastniki
1964 †			Marš na Drinu
1964 †		Don't Cry, Peter	Ne joči, Peter
1965		Three Three (1965 film) Three is a 1965 Yugoslav film directed by Aleksandar Petrović. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 39th Academy Awards.-Cast:* Bata Živojinović as Miloš Bojanić* Nikola-Kole Angelovski* Stole Aranđelović...	Tri
1966		Monday or Tuesday Monday or Tuesday (film) Monday or Tuesday is an acclaimed 1966 Yugoslav drama film directed by Vatroslav Mimica starring Slobodan Dimitrijević. The film's title is a famous quote from Virginia Woolf's 1919 work Modern Fiction in which she described her approach to writing: "Examine for a moment an ordinary mind on an...	Ponedjeljak ili utorak
1967 †		I Even Met Happy Gypsies I Even Met Happy Gypsies I Even Met Happy Gypsies is a 1967 Yugoslav film by Serbian director Aleksandar Petrović. Its original Serbian title is Skupljači perja, which means The Feather Gatherers. The film is centered around Roma people's life in a village in northern Vojvodina, but it also deals with subtler themes such...	Skupljači perja
1967 †		The Morning	Jutro
1968		When I Am Pale and Dead	Kad budem mrtav i beo
1969		Downstream from the Sun	Nizvodno od sunca
1970		Handcuffs Handcuffs (film) Handcuffs is a Croatian film directed by Krsto Papić. It was released in 1969....	Lisice
1971		Black Seed Black Seed (film) Black Seed is a 1971 Yugoslav drama film directed Kiril Cenevski. The film was selected as the Yugoslav entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 44th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.-Cast:* Darko Damevski as Andon Sovicanov...	Crno seme
1972		The Master and Margaret The Master and Margaret The Master and Margaret , is a 1972 Italian-Yugoslav film directed by Aleksandar Petrović.The film is an adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's 1967 novel The Master and Margarita, although it mainly focuses on the parts of the novel set in 1920s Moscow....	Maestro i Margarita
1973		Blossoms in Autumn	Cvetje v jesen
1974		The Dervish and Death The Dervish and Death The Dervish and Death is a 1974 Yugoslav film directed by Zdravko Velimirović based on a novel by Meša Selimović.The film won Silver Arena and four Golden Arena awards at the 1974 Pula Film Festival, the Yugoslav national film awards festival, including Best Director , Best Supporting Actor ,...	Derviš i smrt
1975		Fear	Strah
1976		Beach Guard in Winter Beach Guard in Winter Čuvar plaže u zimskom periodu is a 1976 Yugoslav film directed by Goran Paskaljević. It was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Irfan Mensur - Dragan Pasanovic* Gordana Kosanovic - Ljubica Miladinovic...	Čuvar plaže u zimskom periodu
1977		Manhunt	Hajka
1978		Fragrance of Wild Flowers	Miris poljskog cveća
1979		Journalist	Novinar
1980		Special Treatment Special Treatment Special Treatment is a 1980 Yugoslavian drama film directed by Goran Paskaljević. It was entered into the 1980 Cannes Film Festival where Milena Dravić won the award for Best Supporting Actress.-Cast:* Ljuba Tadić - Dr...	Poseban tretman
1981
1982		Living Like the Rest of Us	Živeti kao sav normalan svet
1983		Something In-Between	Nešto između
1984		In the Jaws of Life In the Jaws of Life In the Jaws of Life is a 1984 Croatian film directed by Rajko Grlić.The film was released on VHS in the United States by Facets Video in November 1998.-External links:* at Filmski-Programi.hr...	U raljama života
1985		When Father Was Away on Business When Father Was Away on Business When Father Was Away on Business is a 1985 Yugoslav film by Serbian director Emir Kusturica. The screenplay was written by the Bosnian dramatist Abdulah Sidran...	Otac na službenom putu
1986		Evening Bells	Večernja zvona
1987			Hi-Fi
1988		A House by the Tracks	Kuća pored pruge
1989		Cafe Astoria Cafe Astoria The Cafe Astoria is the first western style bakery in Taiwan. It is located in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan on WuChang Street across from the City God Temple.-History:...	Kavana Astoria
1990		The Windhunter	Veter v mreži

Croatian competition (1992–present)

Year	Winner	English title	Original title
1991	Festival was not held.
1992		Story from Croatia Story from Croatia Story from Croatia is a 1991 Croatian film directed by Krsto Papić. It was Croatia's submission to the 65th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.-See also:*Cinema of Croatia...	Priča iz Hrvatske
1993		The Golden Years The Golden Years (1993 film) The Golden Years is a Croatian film directed and written by Davor Žmegač. It was released in 1993....	Zlatne godine
1994	Festival was not held.
1995		Washed Out Washed Out (film) Washed Out is a Croatian film. It was released in 1995....	Isprani
1996		How the War Started on My Island How the War Started on My Island How the War Started on My Island is a 1996 Croatian black comedy film directed by Vinko Brešan and starring Vlatko Dulić, Ljubomir Kerekeš, Ivan Brkić, Predrag Vušović, Ivica Vidović, Božidar Orešković and Matija Prskalo...	Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku
1997		Mondo Bobo Mondo Bobo Mondo Bobo is a critically acclaimed 1997 Croatian film directed by Goran Rušinović.-Synopsis:Bobo, a young man, kills two criminals in self-defense. Acting on his lawyer's advice, he turns himself in, but ends up in a mental institution. He then escapes and meets up with his girlfriend , but she...	Mondo Bobo
1998		When the Dead Start Singing When the Dead Start Singing When the Dead Start Singing is a Croatian film, directed by Krsto Papic. It was released in 1998....	Kad mrtvi zapjevaju
1999		Red Dust Red Dust (1999 film) Red Dust is a 1999 Croatian film directed by Zrinko Ogresta. It was Croatia's official Best Foreign Language Film submission at the 72nd Academy Awards, but did not manage to receive a nomination.-Cast:*Ivo Gregurević.....Kirby...	Crvena prašina
2000		Celestial Body Celestial Body Celestial Body is a Croatian film directed by Lukas Nola. It was released in 2000....	Nebo, sateliti
2001		Slow Surrender Slow Surrender Slow Surrender is a 2001 Croatian film directed by Bruno Gamulin, starring Filip Šovagović, Sven Medvešek and Lucija Šerbedžija. It is based on a novel of the same name by Goran Tribuson....	Polagana predaja
2002		Fine Dead Girls Fine Dead Girls Fine Dead Girls , sometimes also Nice Dead Girls is a 2002 film introduced on Pula Film Festival. The film has been named one of the best Croatian movies of the last decade...	Fine mrtve djevojke
2003		Witnesses Witnesses (film) Witnesses is a Croatian drama film directed by Vinko Brešan. It was released in 2003.-Synopsis:The plot of the movie is centered in the city of Karlovac in 1992, during the Croatian War of Independence. The front lines, where Croatian and Serbian forces fight each other, lie near the city....	Svjedoci
2004		Long Dark Night Long Dark Night (film) Long Dark Night is a 2004 Croatian film directed by Antun Vrdoljak and starring Goran Višnjić. It was Croatia's submission to the 77th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.-See also:...	Duga mračna noć
2005		What Iva Recorded What Iva Recorded What Iva Recorded is a Croatian comedy film directed by Tomislav Radić. It was released in 2005.-Cast:* Anja Šovagović-Despot - Željka* Ivo Gregurević - Božo* Boris Svrtan - Darko* Masha Mati Prodan - Iva* Barbara Prpić - Nina...	Što je Iva snimila 21. listopada 2003.
2006		All for Free All for Free All for Free is a 2006 Croatian-Bosnian film directed by Antonio Nuić.The film premiered at the 2006 Pula Film Festival , where it went on to win the Big Golden Arena for Best Film award, along with the Best Director , Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress awards....	Sve džaba
2007		The Living and the Dead The Living and the Dead (2007 film) The Living and the Dead is a Croatian fantasy film directed by Kristijan Milic. It was released in 2007.-Cast:* Filip Šovagović - Tomo / Martin* Velibor Topic - Vijali* Slaven Knezovic - Coro* Marinko Prga - Mali* Borko Peric - Robe...	Živi i mrtvi
2008		No One's Son No One's Son No One's Son is a 2008 Croatian film directed by Arsen Anton Ostojić. The film won the Big Golden Arena for Best Film at the 2008 Pula Film Festival, the Croatian national film awards....	Ničiji sin
2009 †		The Blacks The Blacks (film) The Blacks is a 2009 Croatian drama film directed by Goran Dević and Zvonimir Jurić. The film was selected as the Croatian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards, but it didn't make the final shortlist.-Cast:...	Crnci
2009 †		The Blacks	Crnci
2010		Just Between Us	Neka ostane među nama
2011			Ćaća

Multiple winners

The following directors have received multiple awards. The list is sorted by the number of total awards. Years in bold indicate wins in Yugoslav competition (1955–1990). Shared wins are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• 3 : Aleksandar Petrović (1965, 1967*, 1972)
• 2 : Branko Bauer
  Branko Bauer
  -Early life:Bauer became interested in cinema as a school boy, influenced by a Jewish girl, a piano player, who was hiding from Ustaše in his parents' home. After World War II, he began working in the Zagreb-based Jadran Film studio as a documentary filmmaker...
  
   (1956*, 1963)
• 2 : Matjaž Klopčič
  Matjaž Klopčič
  Matjaž Klopčič was a Slovenian film director and screenwriter. He directed 28 films between 1959 and 2005...
  
   (1973, 1975)
• 2 : Živojin Pavlović
  Živojin Pavlovic
  Živojin "Žika" Pavlović was a Serbian film director and writer. In his films and novels, he depicted the cruel reality of small, poor and abandoned people living in the corners of society; he was one of leaders of Serbian the "Black wave" in film in 1960s, a movement which portrayed the darker...
  
   (1968, 1977)
• 2 : Goran Paskaljević
  Goran Paskaljevic
  Goran Paskaljević is a Serbian film director. He was raised by his grandparents in Niš, following the divorce of his parents, and 14 years later returned to Belgrade where he worked in his stepfather's cinema....
  
   (1976, 1980)

• 2 : Srđan Karanović (1978, 1983)
• 2 : Krsto Papić
  Krsto Papic
  Krsto Papić is a Croatian screenwriter and film director whose career spans several decades....
  
   (1992, 1998)
• 2 : Zrinko Ogresta
  Zrinko Ogresta
  Zrinko Ogresta is an acclaimed Croatian screenwriter and film director.-Filmography:* Fragments: Chronicle of a Vanishing - writer and director...
  
   (1995, 1999)
• 2 : Vinko Brešan
  Vinko Brešan
  Vinko Brešan is a Croatian film director who emerged into international renown with three critically acclaimed and award-winning films that, each in its own way, broke some of the perceived taboos of Croatian cinema in the 1990s....
  
   (1996, 2003)
• 2 : Rajko Grlić
  Rajko Grlic
  Rajko Grlić is Yugoslav film director and producer from Croatia of Jewish and Serbian decent...
  
  (1984, 2010)

External links

• Web archive 1954–2010 at the Pula Film Festival official website